Zeus and his Mates

Zeus and his Mates

A Love Story

In Ancient Greece, Zeus was famous for his many love affairs.

The first wife of Zeus was Metis, a titaness and the goddess of wisdom and deviousness. According to a prophecy of that time, Zeus would lose his Kingdom by his first descendant, so he decided to swallow Metis when she became pregnant to Athena.

Next, Zeus married the willowy Themis, the titaness of justice, who bore him the Horae(the Hours) and the Moirae (the Fates).

Zeus also coupled with the Oceanid Eyrynome, with whom he created the three Graces(Charites), the goddesses of Joy, Charm and Beauty.

The titaness Mnemosyne, who created the Muses, the goddesses of Arts in Ancient Greek Mythology.

In the end, Zeus chose Hera, who was his sister and the goddess of Marriage, to become his wife. Together, Zeus and Hera had four children. Eilithya, the protector of childbirth, Ares, the god of war, Hebe, the goddess of youth and Hephaestus, the god of Metallurgy.

However, Zeus kept being fixated on affairs even after his marriage, cheating on Hera constantly with several mortals, such as Europe , Semele and Alcmene, the mother of Heracles. His love affairs were outraging his wife Hera, who was constantly seeking for revenge.